Pleating of draperies



A g- 1950 H. SHERMAN 2,520,787

7 PLEATING 0F DRAPERIES Fiied Oct. 26, 1949 s Shee tsSheet 1 FIG.3.

INVENTORZ HARRY SHERMAN, |8 BY F I G. 7. M MW ATTORNEY Aug. 29, 1950 H. SHERMAN PLEATING 0F DRAPERIES 3 Shee ts-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 26, 1949 INVENTORZ HARRY SHERMAN,

ATTORNEY Aug. 29, 1950 H. SHERMAN PLEATING 0F DRAPERIES 3 Sheets-Sheet '3 Fgl q on. 26, 1949 INVENTOR: HARRY SHERMAN,

ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 29, 1950 y GFF PLEATING' 0F BRAPER'IES Harry Sherma ae wnsN-lt Application (Totoioer'26, 1949, 'Ser'ialNo; .12'3595 4;..c1sims (creas -3m This invention relates to home decorating hangings such as window curtains, draperiesand valances. especially of the pinch-pleat type. It i's an ohsiect of'this invention to provide a simpler and mor'e accurate method of making and-spacing these pleats than has heretofore been devised. A pinch-pleat usually comprises spaced apart groupsof knife pleats, witheach group usually comprising three pleats extending radially from asubstantially common center. These pleats are sewed into permanent position for a short dis.- tance from thesupported edge of the curtain and therebel'ow they merge into softer or lesser curved plea-ts; The supported edge of'the curtain is re.- ihf'orced' with a band like strip of" huckrani or other stifiening material, extending transversely of the curtain; over which strip the curtain is passed on each side thereof, so that the strip is enclosed by a fold of the curtain fabric. 'Up-to'the present time, so far asI'know, pinchpleated curtains, draperiesa-nd valances, which utilize buckram or' some other stifieni-ng strip covered by the fabric of the hanging, have always been made in the same comparatively slow fashion. After the huckram is enclosed by the curtain fabric; the machine operator measures acertain distance from the edge of the hanging; along the stiffened portion thereof; and folds the stiflened: portion at apoint which would form the center pleat of a group'of three pleats. From this. point, at. another measured distance; a row of stitching is made laterallyna'long the stiffening, which permits enough space for forming the other two: pleats; of therg-roup.

. The: pleats are. formed free by grasping the: center point and: forcing the fabricecovered stiflening inwards-into a. fan-like shape; which is then. held in permanent place by a: short row of stitching extending transversely from and slightlyv below: the lateral row of stitching. This mtocess is. repeated with each: group of: pleats, which: may number from as little. .as three; to .five. narrow width curtain ordrapery hangings tozas ma-ny asfrom ten toflfty or more: in. extra wide-hangings or vale-noes. Great care musthe exercised to make each group of pleats identical informand size, and to space. each group equidis ntly in cordance with a. predetermined measurement. 7

It. obvious that this conventional. method of making pinch pleats is not only tedious and time-consuming. ut requires sewin machine operators who become: skilled at thisv work only belon XI9rience.:. .So- ;i-t.;i.s one of the: objects;

iii

of this invention to eliminate entirely the necessity for any measuring, and to.- assure. pertectliv formed pleatsand accurate spacing between: th groups of pleats.

This object is: accomplishedby first pr c -pleat ing: a shapeeretaining reinforcing strip such as .of buckram, in a machine pl'eater, thereby cans,- ing: all the pleats to be preci'sel-y identical and the groups of pinch-pleats tobeprecisely identically spaced apart. When this pre-pleatcd buckrain is sewed into the curtain, the natural spring-back in the buckram causes the. curtain to conform to the shape or the pr c -pleated strip; Therefore, it. may be said that the curtain fails into a. semi-pleated state, which requires only stitching to attain permanence. Since there is nozmeasuring to :do, and since the curtain maker hasv only topress togetherwith the fingers: the clearly visible preformed pleats, it is: obvious that this typeof operation can: be accomplished very much fa-ster'and far less skillfull -worle ers. than the present day conventional method.

The design of such a machine pleater presents a: problem it the desired accuracy is to be real iZGdy. so it is another object of this invention to sively with a slight lag in time between the instant. one is. made. and the others are made. By

having one made slightly earlier than theothers;. the buckram strip is held against displacement by the first contact of the dies against movement or misalignment of the strip during the. making of the other adjacent pleats.

Another object of this invention is todetermine any critical" angle or' configuration of the pleat forming parts of the dies that may be necessary fortheir maximum eihcienoy to operate without. sticking; without adherence of starch thereon from the huckram; and without cracking or splitting the buck-ram.

The best. embodiment of theinvention" nowknownto me has beenchosen for the purpose or illustration in the accompanying drawings but it. is tobe understood that the showing thereof isillustrative and not limiting because that em bodiment is: capable of modification and equivalentswithout departing from the ambit of the appended: claims- In'the drawings, Figure I is an isometric view or a strip of shape-retainingreinforcing material, such as buckram. Fig. *2. is. a. similar view but with the strip pro-pleated.

V stiffened paper, and the like. be pre-pleated with a group or plurality of pinch- "section with a; critical acute angularity.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the male and female pre-pleating dies in initial position. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, except with the male die in partially descended position, while Fig. 5 showsthe male die in fully descended position. Fig. 6 is a partial edge view of the prepleated buckram after it has emerged from being die-pleated. Fig. 7 is similar to Fig. 6 but with the pinch-pleats pressed together. Fig. 8 is an isometric view I of the pre-pleated buckram stitched at its bottom to the upper edge of the curtain or valance fabric. Fig. 9 shows an end elevation of the buckram to which the fabric has been stitched at the bottom of the buckram buckram, with the loop being stitched in that intimately encircling position. Fig. 10 is an isometric view of the parts in the same relationship as shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of the assembly in the fingers of .the operator, while Fig. 12 is a, somewhat similar figurebut with the assembly just about to be pushed under the presserfoot of a sewing machine to sew stitching adjacent to the pinchpleat. Fig. 13 is a vertical sectional view through the completed pinch-pleated material, while Fig. .14 is an isometric view of the same assembly. Fig. 13 is a view taken along the line |3-|3 of Fig. 14; Fig. 15 shows a detail of construction onan enlarged scale.

In the drawings, N indicates the strip or band of shape-retaining reinforcing material that is to be pre-pleated, namely such as buckram, suitably pleats |2 spaced apart at predetermined distances. In the pre-pleated strip, the pleats take the form more or less of the letter w, or M, depending upon which way the pleats are looked at. In Fig. 2 they look like the letter M,-having outer legs l3 and I4, terminating in outer bends l5 and IS, with a V-portion l1 therebetween terminating in a bend l8. Leg I 3 merges with the strip II by a bent shoulder l9 while 'leg 14 merges by a bent shoulder 20. 23 indicates a line along which a stitch is ultimately made' (see 48 in'Fig. 12') on one side of the M pleats I! while 24 represents asimilar line on the other side thereof. When the strip is bent as shown in Fig. 6, there is formed the group of pinch-pleats as shown in Fig. 7. The dotted lines in the latter conform to the full lines in Fig. 6.

The strip I I pleater shown in essence in Figs. 3 to 5, wherein iii-indicates a-female die .having a plurality of grooves therein that are V-shaped in cross The middlegroove 21 has parallel side grooves 28 and 29. The reciprocable male die 30 has a comple mentary central v-shaped ridge 3| retractable and extensible from a recess 32 by means of a Such a strip is to I is pre-pleated by amachine spring 33 and shoulder 34 to be able to extend beyond side ridges 35 and 36. The starting posiuntil the predetermined quantity of strip has passed therebetween and conditions are ready for the dies to be operated again to pre-pleat another group of pinch-pleats, so this action is repetitive. When the pre-pleated strip has been removed from the dies, a pre-pleated section of it looks like that shown in Fig. 6. The natural stiffness of the buckram causes only the bends l5 and Hi to remain upstanding because the bends l9 and 20 tend to spring more or less flat again, as shown. However, if an operator places his fingers on the bends I9 and 20 and presses "upwardly, they will assume the position shown in Fig. 7. 7

However, the pre-pleated strip of buckram as it comes from the machine pleater assumes the appearance as shown in Fig. 2, because the springiness of the buckram tends to straighten out between the pleated sections. This prepleated strip is then stitched as at 39 (Fig. 8) to'the upper or supported edge of the fabric '40 of the curtain or valance, referred to hereingenerally as drapery. That drapery material isthen folded upwardly as at 4 I, then over the top of the pre-pleated strip II, and downwardly as at 42-, with the result that the strip is enclosed by the drapery fabric 40, as shown in Figs. 9 and 173. It is stitched at 43 in this enclosing position. Since the fabric is thus stitched in very close and in timate contact with the strip, the bends |9, |5, I8, l6 and 20, cause the fabric to conformhuggingly thereto as shown in Fig. 10, so. that an operator can readily see; where they are. a The operator then takes the composite assembly as shown in Fig. 10, in his fingers as shown in Fig. 11 and holds the pinch-pleats together whereupon they are then fed to a sewingmachine asshown in Fig. 12, wherein 45 indicates the presser foot of the machine, and 46 the needle, whereby to run a stabilizing line of stitching 48 along the side of the pleats but not through them and then another stabilizing line of stitching 41 across the end of the pinch-pleats through them, as shown in Fig. 14, to hold the pleats inclose and perma nent contact.

In order that the line of stitching 48 can be made by the machine close to the edge of the pleats, it is helpful if the presser foot 45 is only a'half-foot as shown in plan'view in Fig. 12, and it'has a recess 44 for guiding the needle 46.

The angularity of the grooves of the female die are important, as illustrated in Fig. 15. They should be acute enough so that the buckram does not tend to stick to'the side walls thereof either of itself, or the starch thereof due to heatgenerated by friction when the male die presses against it. There is a tendency anyway for some starch, or other stiifening agent, to dust off the buckram so a receiving-space must be provided into which it may collect harmlessly in the bot-' tom of the groove. To that end, the lower edge or apex of the male 'die is blunted such asby' giving it a slight radius. This has the added'ad vantage of minimizing the tendency of the buckram to crack or split. The angularity of the groove to minimize adherence of starch thereto must be on the order of 20, which is more acute than would be expected, although it may vary with different kinds of buckram.

In operation, a strip ll of the shape-retaining drapery-reinforcing material such as buckram, is pre-pleated with carefully spaced-apart groups l2 of adjacent pinch-pleats or bends 19,18 and '20; Such pre-pleated material maybe sold for home use, or it can b used in a drapery factor-y to aid in mass production. So irrespective of where the pre-pleating is done, the following steps are then carried out; the pre-pleated strip H has the upper supported edge of the drapery fabric 40 stitched at 39 to and along its lower edge, as shown in Fig. 8. Thereupon the fabric is folded upwardly over the top of the strip H by fold 4!, then downwardly therealong by fold 42, so that the strip is enclosed by the fabric, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10. Next the fabric is pulled into intimate and tight-fitting contact with the strip and while in this strip-hugging position is stitched as shown at 33 in Figs. 9 and 10, through loops 4!, 42 and strip H to assure its retention in that position.

In such position, it can be seen from Fig. 10, that the placement of the pre-formed pleats or bends i9, i5, i8, i6 and 29 clearly indicate themselves due to the natural spring-back of the buckram strip, so the drapery may then be said to be in a semi-pleated state, which requires only gathering together of the pleats and stitching to attain stabilization or permanence, no measuring of any kind being required. This gathering together is shown somewhat diagrammatically in Fig. 11 (the fabric and strip enclosed thereby being shown in single lines only and not section lined) whereupon the next step for the operator is to pass the gathered-together fabric under the presser foot 45 of a sewing machine as shown in Fig. 12 to form a line of stitching 48 closely proximate the inner edge of the pleats I8, I 9 and 20, but without passing through them, in order to assure their being held in the fan-like position shown in Fig. 14. The pinchpleats are then also stitched across themselves at their lower ends as at 41.

Returning now to the pro-pleating of the strip II, it is preferably done in a machine pleater having the characteristics illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, wherein one of the group of pleat-forming ridges 3| on a male die at is independently extendable and retractable relative to the adjacent ridges 35 and 38 on the male die. This ridge 3| operates in a recess 32 in the male dies body and has a limiting shoulder 34 that is spring-pressed outwardly by spring 33, for normally extending the ridge, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, to extend beyond its companion ridges 35 and 36. This preliminary extension of the ridge 3| grips the strip H so that it cannot become displaced or mis-aligned when further descent of the male die causes the companion but fixed ridges 35 and 35 to engage and pleat the strip H, as shown in Fig. 5. machine pleater, it is a part of this invention to design the complementary grooves in the female die and the ridges of the male die so that the angle of opening of the grooves form an acute angle of substantially for minimizing sticking of the buckram thereto while being pleated, and for also minimizing adherence or building up of starch from the buckram on the side walls of the grooves. In other words, at this angle, the

In this type of grooves seem to be self-cleanin and less frie tion is generated as' the ridges slide against the buckra'm in pleating it. And once again, Fig. 15 shows that it is highly desirable to blunt or round the lower edge or apex 59 of each ridge to prevent cracking of the buckram and to provide a dust-receiving space in the apex of the groove, otherwise accumulation of dusted-off starch or other stiifening agent carried by the strip, collects to such an extent as to damage the precision of the dies.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for practicing the process described herein, which comprises a femal die having a plurality of V-shaped grooves therein, a male die having complementary V-sha'ped ridges, means for moving the dies together, and means for resiliently projecting one ridge from the male die to project normally farther from that die than any other ridge, wherein the male die is provided with a recess into which the projecting ridge is seated but from which that ridge is normally retractably extended by spring pressure.

2. Apparatus for pre-pleating a strip of stiffened shape-retaining drapery-reinforcing material, which comprises a female die havin a plurality of V-shaped grooves therein, a male die having complementary V-shaped ridges with the apices thereof blunted to provide when in pleating position a place between the apices and the bottoms of the grooves for the accumulation of stiffening component of the material dusting off from the material being pleated.

3. The process of forming a pinch-pleated drapery, which comprises pre-pleating a strip of shape-retaining drapery-reinforcing material with spaced-apart groups of pinch-pleats, stitching to the bottom edge of the strip a supporting edge of drapery fabric, stitching the fabric in intimate strip-contacting position whereby the location of the pleats is indicated through the fabric, gathering the fabric and its enclosed pleats into grouped pinch-pleats, and stabilizing each group of pleats by stitching the fabric through the pleats across one end of each group and along one side thereof but without stitching through the pleats themselves.

4. The process according to claim 3, with the addition of looping the fabric around the strip to enclose it.

HARRY SHERMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 137,857 Murray Apr. 15, 1873 564,893 Kippels July 28, 1896 1,164,790 De Voe Dec. 21, 1915 2,171,356 Florea Aug. 29, 1939 2,495,130 Pilliner Jan. 17, 1950 

